783. The Arm Cannot Twist the Thigh

Zhuge Liang hurriedly departed by ship. The various offices of Guangzhou gradually returned to calm, but war was about to rise from the northwest to the southeast, and Lan Tian was also making intensive deployments.

Jiao Province was in the midst of vigorous development and could not spare troops, funds, or provisions to support Guan Yu's northern expedition. However, Lan Tian secretly ordered the Military Workshop to rush the production of winter clothing, armor, and weapons, preparing equipment for the northern expeditionary army in advance.

Beyond that, Lan Tian urgently summoned the three prefects, Mi Fang, Hao Pu, and Xi Zhen, ordering them to remain ready for battle at all times. He had every commandery form grain-transport fleets, so that once war broke out in the north, they could ship provisions to Xiangyang according to plan.

No sooner had the three prefects left than Lan Tian appointed General of the Household Wu Ban as Commandant of Military Administration. He sent Wu Ban and several generals from the Ministry of War Bureau secretly to Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang to recruit reserves for the coming war, scattering them among the counties to take part in the autumn harvest while training.

At the end of July, Shi Zhi was ordered to travel to Hepu and Jiuzhen, where he would personally relay Lan Tian's decision to replace their prefects. The present "courtesy before force" was laying the groundwork for the "compulsory enforcement" to come.

In early August, while Zhuge Liang was still on the road back to Chengdu, Liu Bei's envoy Yi Ji arrived in Guangzhou once more. Yi Ji had brought rewards for the recovery of Rinan Commandery.

Gao Shun was named General of Pacifying the South and granted the title Tinghou of Gaoliang; Shamoke was named General Who Sweeps Away the Barbarians